1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to sewing accessories and more particularly to sewing accessories for helping an individual control the direction and speed of the fabric under the needle used in a sewing machine when free motion quilting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Free motion quilting (hereinafter referred to generally as ‘sewing’) requires an individual to manually move a single sheet of fabric, layers of fabric or multiple layers of fabric with batting in different directions over a stationary free arm and under the presser foot and needle on a sewing or quilting machine. The piece of fabric or material may be either large, bulky, small or thin. In either case, the user must hold the single fabric layer or multiple fabric layers tightly over the free arm and simultaneously move the layer or layers in the desired direction. The fabric must be held tightly and the fabric's movement must be smooth and at a constant rate so that the length of each stitch is approximately the same.
When free motion quilting, both hands are used to hold down the fabric layer or layers on the free arm on opposite sides of the presser foot and needle. Both hands are also simultaneously push and pull the piece of the fabric layer or layers over the free arm and under the presser arm in a coordinated manner so that the fabric layer or layers do not bunch up or stretch. When free motion quilting, the individual's fingers on both hands must be constantly repositioned over the fabric to push, pull and rotate the fabric but also allow the individual to see the presser arm and the needle. With some sewing projects, pins are used to temporarily attach multiple fabric layers together, which require that the machine be stopped to remove the pins and restarted. When restarting, the individual needs to reposition his or her fingers at substantially the same location and apply the same pushing or pulling force on the fabric before stopping.
Because fabric used with a sewing machine is soft and has a smooth texture, the individual's fingers slide over the fabric. To improve gripping of the fabric when sewing, some individuals wear a pair of rubber, latex gloves or garden gloves. Unfortunately, not all fabrics used with a sewing machine have the same texture or the same co-efficiency of friction so a single pair of gloves that may not be used with all fabrics. Also, because the individual is gripping other objects, such as a needle or the end of a thread) that require exposed finger tips, the gloves must be repeated removed from the individual's hands.
What is needed is a sewing accessory that helps an individual sufficiently move a piece of fabric made of different materials over the free arm and under the needle on a sewing machine when free motion sewing, and keeps the finger tips exposed.